Appliqué: Pieces of fabric cut to certain shapes placed on another layer of fabric to create an overall image or effect.

Backing: The bottom layer of your quilt. This can be one piece of fabric or pieced simply.

Basting: Temporarily holding all three layers of your quilt (top, wadding and backing) in place ahead of quilting. This can be done with long hand or machine stitches or sometimes by spray-basting with a temporary fabric adhesive.

Bias binding: Strips of fabric cut on the bias and used to bind the edges of your quilt.

Binding: Used to encase the raw edges of your quilt and provide a neat finish.

Blocks: The term used to describe a section of pieced fabric used to assemble your quilt top.

Cornerstones: A small block that joins the sashing strips together to surround a block or blocks in a quilt top.

Echo quilting: Quilting is done around an outline of an appliqué piece, design or pattern and then echoed repeatedly around this stitched line. This is sometimes known as shadow quilting.

English paper piecing: A hand-piecing technique that involves using small paper templates to achieve precise shapes that are hand-sewn together before the paper pieces are removed.

Foundation paper piecing: A method used for joining together small pieces of fabric to
form a more complicated pattern or design using foundation paper, which is machine-sewn onto and then removed.

Free-motion quilting: A process requiring a free-motion foot. This technique requires you to drop your feed dogs so you can move fabric freely in all directions as you quilt.

Fussy-cutting: Intentionally cutting around a certain image on fabric to make it the focus.

Half square triangles: A triangle that is created when you cut a square from one corner to the opposite corner, yielding two HSTs.

Improv piecing: A technique that involves quilting without a set intention and adding random shapes as you see fit.

Mitred corner: A border that is cut and sewn at a 45° angle, giving the appearance of a frame and providing a neat quilt edge that will not stretch.

Piecing: The process of sewing together pieces of fabric to form your quilt top, typically using blocks.

Pressing: Lightly set your iron onto an open seam, lift and set again, repeating until seams are pressed open. Do not move the iron or use steam as this can distort the seam and stretch your fabric.

Quilt as you go: This method involves layering each section before beginning sewing and building the layers of the whole quilt gradually until complete.

Quilt sandwich: Three layers – the quilt top, wadding in the middle and backing – ready
to be quilted.

Quilt ruler: A quilting tool that comes in different shapes that makes cutting shapes for your quilt much easier.

Quilt top: Fabric that has been pieced together in your chosen design, typically using blocks.

Quilting: The process of sewing through your quilt top, wadding and backing to create one layer, adding texture, structure and an added design element.

Sashing: The strips of fabric sewn around or between blocks on your quilt top. These are typically joined with sashing squares or cornerstone blocks.

Seam allowance: The standard seam allowance for quilting is ¼".

Stitch in the ditch: This involves stitching along existing seams in a patchwork piece or quilt top in order to quilt it together.

Top-stitch: Neatly stitching on the exterior side of a project to finish the seams or folds to keep them in place. This is sometimes known as edge stitching when it is done near a fold of fabric.

Wadding: The middle of your quilt, made from cotton, polyester or wool. Used to add structure, warmth and insulation. (Known as batting in the US).

Check out our beginner's guide to quilting HERE

Ready to start quilting? Try our Patchwork and Quilting Encyclopedia today!